IBM FlashSystem vs NetApp Private Storage comparison

IBM and NetApp are both solutions in the NAS category. IBM is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4, while NetApp is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.5. IBM holds a 12.5% mindshare in N, compared to NetApp’s 1.8% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of NetApp users who would recommend it.

IBM FlashSystem

Read 112 IBM FlashSystem reviews

8,010 Views
3,124 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

NetApp Private Storage

Read 14 NetApp Private Storage reviews

362 Views
362 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM FlashSystem

NetApp Private Storage

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 7, 2024

IBM FlashSystem and NetApp Private Storage both compete in the storage market, each offering distinct advantages. IBM FlashSystem appears to have the upper hand with its cost-effectiveness and emphasis on core functionalities.

Features: IBM FlashSystem provides high performance and low latency with features like Easy Tier and a user-friendly GUI, aiding data management and storage virtualization. NetApp Private Storage, in contrast, excels in cloud integration and offers a rich set of features including SnapMirror, yet often faces challenges in ease of use.

Room for Improvement: IBM FlashSystem could enhance scalability, its management interface, pricing transparency, and integration documentation. NetApp Private Storage requires simplification in configuration, improved support responsiveness, and better feature utilization.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM FlashSystem predominantly sees on-premises deployment, with mixed reviews on support quality, highlighting delayed responses as a challenge. NetApp Private Storage integrates well with on-premises and cloud environments, but user satisfaction is hampered by inconsistent customer service.

Pricing and ROI: IBM FlashSystem offers competitive pricing with a bundled licensing model, appealing to budget-conscious organizations despite being slightly higher than some alternatives. NetApp Private Storage, viewed as expensive, provides extensive features but lacks IBM's pricing strategy appeal.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM FlashSystem vs. NetApp Private Storage Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem vs. NetApp Private Storage

July 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM FlashSystem

Ranking in NAS

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

112

Ranking in other categories

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) (2nd), All-Flash Storage (13th)

NetApp Private Storage

Ranking in NAS

15th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the NAS category, the mindshare of IBM FlashSystem is 12.5%, down from 13.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetApp Private Storage is 1.8%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NAS

Featured Reviews

OmarIsmail1

Infrastructure Technical Specialist II at Clicks Group

Offers high performance and dependable support for fast storage needs

The most valuable feature of IBM FlashSystem is its robust back code. When integrated properly into the environment and configured according to the guidelines, it provides a very solid infrastructure that does the job on demand. Additionally, IBM FlashSystem offers competitive pricing and reliable performance. The hardware is dependable, ensuring that it functions effectively when the setup is done correctly.

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Pramod-Talekar

Sr Service Engineer at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Well-suited for virtualized environments and highly stable solution

We are in a VMware Intra environment, so we are utilizing NetApp Storage for our virtualization infrastructure NetApp offers multiple features that we utilize for our projects. At the moment, we are extensively using SnapMirror Flex. There is room for improvement in the support. It has been a…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The most valuable features are, of course, the virtualization of the storage, the performance, and the compression."

"No queuing and high ops, speed, and performance."

"The solution allows for easy migrations from previous products or vendors via its embedded storage virtualization function."

"IBM FlashSystem 5300 is offered at a very low cost in Israel, which is advantageous for small companies."

"The most valuable feature in demand is virtualization and its support storage of virtualization features."

"Virtualization of external storage, while adding cache and speed to the external storage."

"The solution is very easy to configure and use."

"The performance of the solution is noteworthy."

More IBM FlashSystem pros

"It gave us a platform which could clearly arrange all our files and volumes."

"The solution scales well."

"The most valuable feature is integration."

"As opposed to cloud, we have full control over security, use, who uses it. We own a number of different companies, so we can partition however we want."

"The most valuable feature of NetApp Private Storage is out-of-the-box integration with the SAN switches. They are much easier compared to Dell solutions. Additionally, the connector that comes with the solution that allows connection back to the Cisco SAN switches is very good. In Dell, I would need to use an FCIP or CIP port that is required."

"The solution is stable."

"Disaster recovery. And I like the security very much. I think they have the needed options for security. Can manage NPS using the same tools and process that we use today."

"At the moment, we are extensively using SnapMirror."

More NetApp Private Storage pros

Cons

"It has room for improvement in the area of stability."

"I would like to have a larger disk. Right now, you can get 57 terabytes in a shelf. Once they get the larger disk and you get larger capacities, it'll be even better."

"The customer's expectations are what they get on the cloud, they're expecting even in the on-premises deployments, going forward."

"The security features can be improved such that the encryption does not affect performance in any way."

"If you want to expand, you cannot expand the disc enclosure. You have to buy a total individual node. Sometimes, this is difficult because we are just looking for capacity and not a node."

"The deduplication and compression ratio is not very good. It's not reaching a very high ratio."

"The interface could improve in IBM FlashSystem."

"The GUI for monitoring performance metrics could provide better visibility. For example, it doesn't let me segregate the IOPS per volume."

More IBM FlashSystem cons

"I think that it should work better with Microsoft solutions, more integrated with Microsoft. We also need integrated NAS and block storage."

"It is not the fastest storage solution."

"We had to write a number of custom tools or scripts ourselves to use it as a staging area between our on-premises datacenter and our cloud installation."

"NetApp Private Storage is still integrated into the ISCSI connectivity and the FC protocol. I would recommend them to migrate to the FCIP because the SAN switches are moving further to an FCIP, and are scaling out of the ISCSI connectivity. Sooner or later, that will be an issue for NetApp Private Storage. An NFCIP should be available to them moving three years down the line."

"The hardware does not last as long as it could with new software."

"I'm not sure how easy it is to use on the cloud versus on-prem. If they have different user experiences, they should work to make the two as similar as possible to make it easy for a user to understand both even if they only deal mainly with one."

"They need a little more technical people in Akola. Most of the NetApp people are in Bangalore, Mumbai, or Delhi, but there are very few in Akola. I think NetApp has few technicians in Akola because they mostly rely on partners to service this area."

"There is room for improvement in the support. It has been a problem for our team."

More NetApp Private Storage cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price depends of the technology that our customers need. The price can come at a lower cost but this may increase as storage is added."

"If five is a good price and one is a high price, I would rate the price a two or three out of five."

"The price is a little bit high so is rated a six out of ten."

"We have no issues with the price as it is very competitive."

"I would rate the pricing of this solution a four out of five."

"Overall the price of the solution is expensive and this includes the license."

"Its price is very good."

"Pricing can be considered as per market competition."

More IBM FlashSystem pricing and cost advice

"The price of NetApp Private Storage is similar to other solutions. There is typically an annual license required for this solution."

"NetApp Private Storage is cheaper here in India compared to other solutions, such as Dell."

"The price could be lower."

"In general, I am pleased with the pricing, though it is a little high."

"The product is costly."

"It is an expensive solution."

"We negotiate whatever deal we can get on the type of storage that it is, but it's totally under our control,."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

University

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM FlashSystem?

It is simple to make an update.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM FlashSystem?

Many factors affect purchasing directly from IBM, often involving a multi-step process. Customers, especially in banking, often use the latest devices as they are upgrading, indicating they do not ...

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What needs improvement with IBM FlashSystem?

The deduplication technology in IBM FlashSystem needs significant improvement. Other vendors like NetApp ( /products/netapp-41749-reviews ) offer better deduplication technology, which is noticeabl...

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What do you like most about NetApp Private Storage?

NetApp is faster than other storage brands.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp Private Storage?

The product is costly. Also, we need to pay for features like SnapMirror, etc. I rate its pricing a nine out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with NetApp Private Storage?

NetApp is a great storage device, but sometimes support is not accessible. Also, the current version has removed most of the dashboard features. We have to use the CLI for some tasks. Additionally,...

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerStore vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 21% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 9% of the time

Pure Storage FlashArray vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

Huawei OceanStor Dorado vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

NetApp AFF vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM FlashSystem Competitors

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs NetApp Private Storage

Compared 34% of the time

NetApp FAS Series vs NetApp Private Storage

Compared 23% of the time

QNAP NAS Storage vs NetApp Private Storage

Compared 17% of the time

Qumulo vs NetApp Private Storage

Compared 14% of the time

Hitachi NAS Platform vs NetApp Private Storage

Compared 12% of the time

More NetApp Private Storage Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem

August 2025

Download IBM FlashSystem product report

Buyer's Guide

NetApp Private Storage

August 2025

Download NetApp Private Storage product report

Also Known As

IBM Storwize

NPS

Overview

IBM FlashSystem products are enterprise computer data storage systems that store data on flash memory chips. Unlike storage systems that use standard solid-state drives, IBM FlashSystem products incorporate custom hardware based on technology from the 2012 acquisition of Texas Memory Systems. This hardware provides performance, reliability, and efficiency benefits versus competitive offerings.

IBM

NetApp Private Storage (NPS) for Cloud is a family of enterprise storage solutions that lets you use multiple industry-leading clouds and maintain complete control over your data on dedicated storage systems from NetApp.

NetApp

Sample Customers

Celero, Friedhelm Loh Group, Clarks, Mingkang Natregro Health Food Group, Sofia, Etisalat Fights Fraud, UF Health Shands Hospital, Generali, Elecon Engineering Company Limited, Ventiv , Technology, CPFL Energia, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., SciQuest, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, Paddy Power, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Interconnect Services, Severstal IP-Only AB, PVU Group GmbH

ASE IT, Concerto Cloud

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem vs. NetApp Private Storage

July 2025

Free Report: IBM FlashSystem vs. NetApp Private Storage

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